Report by Bruce Bahmani

September 7, 2008 San Francisco, CA - Last night, for the first time in the US, at the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts, Mohsen Namjoo, the culmination of 30 years of post revolutionary Iranian angst, fear, loathing, bitterness, love, humor, hope and passion, walked onto a simple bare stage and proceeded to berate, judge, testify, confess, convict, convince, and sweep and decisively blow the audience away.

Before the performance, a short excerpt of an upcoming feature length documentary film was shown. The film is entitled "Not an Illusion" in which Namjoo appears, and is made by filmmaker, Torang Abedian. "Not an Illusion" is slated to be released this Fall.

Namjoo opened the first half of the performance with his fast becoming his hit song, "Toranj" which is an amazingly expressive rock blues ballad in which the anger and angst can fully be heard through an almost painful shouting wail, and the other gaining in familiarity trademark trait, the vocal trill (known colloquially as the Cha-Chaheh, formally as Tahrir).

Possibly the most moving piece performed this night was the song "Daheh-Shast" SEE VIDEO (the Iranian calendar decade of 1360's equivalent to the 1980's and period of the Iran-Iraq war) a moving mirage of vignettes of life during the turbulent times in Iran. Many of the references were obvious to those in the audience who lived in Iran at the time, but were mysteriously vague and indecipherable to those who either have not been back to Iran since leaving, or at least not during the period in question. Some references were too obvious to not understand. Especially the end line;

"...basi ranj bordeem in sal see,

Keh faghat ranj bordeh basheem, mersi!"

The line a reference and re-interpretation of the famous line by Ferdowsi in his Shahnameh, roughly translated as, "Many troubles have I [we] endured these past 30 years, for the single reason, to have endured trouble, Thanks!"

Switching elegantly and calmly between Western guitar and traditional Iranian tar, Namjoo occasionally explained and introduced songs to the audience, as he tuned and prepared each instrument. Many times the audience was simply unable to contain itself, shouting its approval for both the performance and occasionally pledges of allegiance to the performer, as "Nazeh Nafaset!" ("bless your sweet voice!"), and numerous hoots and hollers often interjected uncontrollably with the songs.

After the performance was over, the audience of course, demanded more. But when a clearly uncomfortable Namjoo returned to the stage for an encore, the audience seeing his discomfort and genuine humility roared with even more power than ever.

After the performance, as is now customary for a Beyond Persia event, the attendees who had purchased the General Admission tickets left the theater while the VIP ticket holders remained, awaiting the banquet dinner, and the chance to mingle and meet and greet their newest hero, Mohsen Namjoo. A traditional Persian dinner including all three types of kabob (filet, ground beef, and chicken), fresh herbs of mint, basil, parsley, and radishes, with succulent stews and steaming mounds of aromatic rice, was served via an elegant buffet. At the bar drinks flowed, like wine!

During the post-concert party Namjoo was literally mobbed by well wishers and everyone wanted a moment to either glorify the artist, or clarify their understanding of his mysteriously subtle yet specifically tangential lyrics. Longtime friend of Beyond Persia, the famed actor Behrouz Vossoughi engaged the artist, and Namjoo was clearly humbled by the presence and expression of support from such an important Iranian icon. Other guests included Dr. Abbas Milani, the noted Iran-expert, who had earlier in the week hosted Namjoo at a lecture held in Stanford University.

Namjoo is here on an artist visa, for the duration of his 6 city tour, and by overwhelming demand, a final farewell performance back in San Francisco on October 4, at Theater Artaud. It is important to note that Namjoo's visa was acquired for him after many months of hard work, inquiry and filling out necessary forms and affidavits by Beyond Persia's co-founders Amir Salamat and Lale Welsh.